Like i said Miki, most people aren’t powerusers like us. I’m a programmer, I write code and develop for a living, but most importantly I try to think of these systems in a way that the average person would. When I talk about how to be successful in IPTV means researching a ton and having multiple subscriptions to counteract the inevitable down time, I’m always keeping the very average non-tech people in mind.
If I can’t quickly and easily setup a system (especially remotely), teach it to the average person, and have it more or less hands off self maintaining and working, then it probably isn’t ready for semi-mainstream uses.
And that’s where imo IPTV is. It’s cool for powerusers and those who have a poweruser who can hold their hand. Outside of that, most people are going to be happy to pay for what’s official and reliable or use what’s cheap/free.
It is going to be tough to perfect, as it is looked down on for the most part outside of the cord cutting community. I would love 100% too, and hopefully some day we can shut the mainstream cable and satellite suppliers down in lieu of these services that we use. Until then, i have a myriad of backup options from running a large antenna in my attic for local channels, and paying for Philo so my less-than-techy mother can watch tv here when she babysits my son. Those options along with the verified IPTV are still great, but expensive for the channel selection compared to what we have become accustomed to.
LOL…I’m in my 70’s and love messing around in the tech world. An easy way to get your dad sorted out is for him to use Tivimate. Then all you have to do is install a couple of decent paid iptv services and a few freebies you can find here in the Insider. Then set up his “Favorites” under the “All Playlist” folder from all of your iptv sources and let him click away! In fact, if you get him the right iptv services they will have a VOD Movies and TV Shows category included. It could be an all-in-one, one stop shop! ez, pz!
Set him up with a vpn that boots on startup, Tivimate that updates playlist and epg on a daily basis, and maybe the Fast Task Killer which will auto run in the background, and you are all set. Heck, plug his modem/router device, and TV all into a smart plug and you can unplug and reset his devices remotely from your phone.
Once he gets more comfortable using his tech. Then start venturing out with more elaborate media apps. Maybe even look into a launcher you can customize and boot on startup to make his navigating even more simplified.
Don’t under-estimate us old codgers. We’re pretty quick on the learning curve! After all, we we’re the generation that put a man on the moon! lol
Yep, I found that out, too. In fact, if you look on the host sites you will see a m3u code that is identical to lemo’s code. So, yes, they are resellers of kemo.
This is why I advise when getting a backup, you make sure that your services are NOT from the same servers! I like Dozens, as I also like kemo, kemo sat, and lemo, but these services are all from the same source and ultimately are dependent upon the original source. Keep one of them and find an alternate service that is totally independent from the same source as your other services.
I have 3 pd services ($5, $5, $15) that are independent of each other and about half a dozen free quality m3us that I have installed on my Tivimate. I have absolutely NO down time utilizing this setup.
There are a few. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your present needs, they usually are only open for new subs a few times a year. When you get wind of one of these services you need to jump on the opportunity asap, because like the My Pillow Guy says, "when they’re gone, they’re gone! lol
What I do is keep a few of these quality service host page websites saved in my Favorites on my laptop and check them every so often for availability. That’s how I got into Area 51 back in the day. Heck someone here in the Insider alerted me along with everyone else about a couple of premium services who opened their stores up for a short time, but now they have closed the store and who knows when they will reopen. It was great to be able to test out and decide which premium service I was going to keep. Most times you don’t get that kind of opportunity to choose!
Just keep in mind, the secret to iptv longevity is the “secret” it keeps!
What I’ve done, to help out my fellow IPTV enthusiasts, is buy subs with a 5 connection option. This allows me to keep one connection for myself and then I “share” the other 4 connections. This allows them to use it for an extended period of time to test it fully not only for reliability but for content as well. I presently have 10 services bookmarked. I don’t use bitcoin or some pay site, just CC.
That only works if the iptv service doesn’t lock the ip addresses associated with their service.
These are the no-go for me when considering an iptv service: (not listed in any order of priority) #1. Locked IP (home use only) #2. Lousy CS (communications) #3. Limited pymt options (no Cash App, PP, CC, or only “selected” BC) #4. Constant issues with the service. (buffering, loading, pic & sound issues) #5. Lack of epg (none, limited, or in correct)
I try out a new service for one month. Then decide whether I will contract for a longer period of time. I am somewhat uncertain about the “free” tests’ periods. I am somewhat suspicious of the server they use for that purpose. Is it a separate server with only a few subs on it. Therefore, not experiencing the true server load and skewing your perception of what you will actually use on a daily basis? That is why I will ONLY start out with a 1-month sub to test. Btw, got caught on one service where I did the 1 month, but wanted to go to a 6 month when that sub expired. Unfortunately, they closed the store and do not allow for new subs or even upgrading a sub you already have. What’s weird is I was warned of this by an Insider but neglected to heed the warning. Thus I am now stuck with renewing every month until they open the store again.
Oh, and can you believe this one, I am very much interested and wanting this one premium service that is usually closed but was lucky enough to get in with a 10-day free trial. That issue is they only take bitcoin or bitcoin via Cash App, and I am having issues. Here’s the weird part. the CS has contacted me via phone (they did ask for permission first). Well, they called and walked me through it and then just this morning they called back to see how I liked the service and if I needed anymore help. Now, that’s a 1st for any iptv service calling me to see how things are going!
I didn’t say anything about age in relation to skill. I said powerusers and average users. There are plenty of millennials I know who can barely get these concepts down because I’ve tried with them.
How to know which ones are truly the great premium services when they’re locked down? I got into one back in the day (can’t remember which) after forever of waiting, only to find that the exclusively was mostly artificial and what they offered could have easily been obtained by any old list. I’m sure there are the truly great private ones out there, but man it’s a ton of research to sniff these things out.
Even just having multiple lists from different providers takes a lot of time and effort to sort out. You’ve gotta trial or monthly buy from many providers and cross reference and compare list structures, typos in their lists to spot the similarities, or semi-pray for downtime so you can quickly cross-reference to see if your other lists have gone down too.
I have Voodoo as my main and 2 lesser/cheaper services on speed dial. The 2 cheaper services rotate and I switch them with other services as needed when one is found to be really good it becomes next in line for Voodoo;s throne if ever he should ever falter
I’ve found through the years that I can fairly easily depict who is a reseller of whom by just the playlist and epg that are being populated. It’s not full proof, but pretty accurate.
Right now, I have 3; 1premium and 2 that are ok for backups, but all 3 are from totally different services and use totally different servers.
Thus I am now stuck with renewing every month until they open the store again.
